Deeper Dive with Dara Kam

Innocence Project of Florida Executive Director Seth Miller joins Dara this week to discuss wrongful convictions in Florida. Seth gives insights into what can be a decades-long exoneration process for people who've been convicted of crimes they did not commit. The pair delve into Seth's efforts to free Leo Schofield, the subject of Gilbert King's "Bone Valley" podcast. Mr. Schofield spent 36 years...

Capitol reporter Forrest Saunders joins Dara in the Speakeasy to dig into the biggest Florida stories of the year. Hurricanes. Elections. Abortion. State parks. We say goodbye to 2024 with Mar-a-Lago as the center of the political universe & as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to Make America Great Again -- with the help of the Sunshine State!

Former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo gave up her gavel last month, but the Naples Republican has two more years to go before exiting the upper chamber. Sen. Passidomo, who's now chairwoman of the Rules Committee, shares insights with Dara about returning to the floor as one of 40 Somalian warlords after being president. The duo also discusses some of the hot issues for the upcoming 2025 legi...

Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried visits Dara in the Speakeasy to conduct a postmortem on the 2024 elections. How did Donald Trump -- an affluent celebrity -- become the torchbearer of working-class voters? Nikki tells Dara that Dems missed the mark on messaging. The pair discuss weed, abortion, and much more, including The Scandal Bar!

John "Mac" Stipanovich, a veteran Republican party operative, left the GOP years ago because he considered President-elect Donald Trump to be an "existential threat" to democracy. The erudite Vietnam vet returns to Deeper Dive this week to dissect the MAGA movement. Mac and Dara have a LIVELY discussion about feminism, liberal autocracy, and so much more. Mac called Dara after the show wrapped to...

Karen Woodall, a legend in the Florida Capitol, has devoted more than 40 years advocating for people from marginalized communities, including immigrants, farmworkers, children and the poor. On this week's Deeper Dive, Karen tells Dara about her decade-long battle to get breakfast for school kids and talks about how powerful personal stories can help shape legislation. Karen -- who's also the co-fo...

To brine or not to brine? Chef Justin Timineri, Culinary Ambassador for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, returns to Deeper Dive this week to help divas prep for the holidays. Chef Justin dishes up some seasonal recipes, gives Dara some tips for the perfect turkey (or chicken!) and serves up some Sunshine State-style cocktails & mocktails as we head into fall!

Whew! We finally made it through Nov. 5! Republicans made gains up and down the ballot in Florida and throughout the nation, handily returning President-elect Donald Trump to the White House. A majority of Florida voters approved measures that would have allowed recreational marijuana and enshrined abortion rights in the state Constitution -- but the proposals failed to reach the 60 percent thresh...

Investigative journalist Jim DeFede has been covering Florida politics from the #305 for more than three decades. The host of CBS News Miami's "Facing South Florida" joins Dara on this week's episode to discuss the upcoming elections, reminisce about the campaign trail ("We're all a little nuts!"), and give a peek into the bare-knuckle politics in Miami-Dade. Also, hear how Jim won a $25 bet with...

In this week's Reporter Roundtable, state capital reporters Jason Delgado of Spectrum News and Forrest Saunders of EW Scripps join Dara in the Speakeasy for a fresh take on journalism, politics and so much more. How does social media affect broadcast news? Do TV reporters get more access to state leaders than print journos? What are real voters talking about on the campaign trail? Listen and find...

Can Democrats bust the GOP's supermajority in the state House? Longtime Democratic political consultant Beth Matuga digs into House seats Dems are fighting to hang onto and dishes on districts they're aiming to flip. Beth, general consultant for state House Democratic campaigns, christens Deeper Dive's new recording space with Dara this week as they get in some quality H&H time (listen and find ou...

Remember the shark swimming down the street after Hurricane Ian? Didn't happen! But fake memes and dangerous rumors continue to swirl on social media as Florida grapples with the one-two punch of Hurricanes Helene and Milton AND as voting in the presidential election is already underway. Janet Coats, the managing director for the Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology at the University of Flo...

Deadly Hurricane Helene slammed into storm-torn Taylor County and caused widespread damage in Tampa Bay and inland. In today's episode of Deeper Dive, Florida Municipal Electric Association Executive Director Amy Zubaly gives Dara the inside scoop on how city-owned utilities prep for and respond to storms. Amy also gives Dara a redecorating tip for when the lights go out!

In Part 2 of Deeper Dive's pre-election series, Dara speaks with Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus. Supervisor Marcus, whose career in the elections office spans more than two decades, discusses how she and her colleagues plan for Election Day and shares what gives her "heartburn" about changes to voting laws. Dara and her guest dig into all-things-elections in the run-up to Nov...

How are mail-in ballots counted? Are election results audited? What about signature matching? Join Deeper Dive for the first segment of a two-part, soup-to-nuts series on voting in Florida with SOEs from two very different parts of the state. This week, Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays gets feisty about election-denier "wackadoodles" and explains voting processes as he and his colleag...

He's back! South Florida Sun Sentinel Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet joins Dara in the Terracotta Room for this week's Reporter Roundtable episode. The pair chat about all-things-politics, including the battle for the White House and legislative races to watch. Steve also weighs in on a proposal that would make school board races partisan and tells Dara which group of voters could have the biggest...

The Harris-Walz campaign kicked off a national "Reproductive Freedom" bus tour in the Sunshine State this month. On today's Deeper Dive, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison joined Dara to talk about why he's "bold" about Florida, which he called a "wild card" in the upcoming election. Friend-of-the-show U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a former chair of the DNC, also took some...

Sen. Shevrin Jones joins Deeper Dive this week to chat with Dara about attending his first Democratic National Convention and shares some takeaways from the Sunshine State primaries. Shev, who's chair of the Democratic Executive Committee in Miami-Dade County, also weighs in on Dems' biggest challenges heading into the November election. The pair also share playlists that might surprise you.

Maria DeLiberato, executive director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, joins Dara for a wide-ranging dive into the state's death penalty process. Maria, a former prosecutor, says she wants to have an "honest conversation" about the death penalty with people on both sides of the issue. Join Deeper Dive for this timely discussion, with the state's first execution in 8 months sched...

Rich Templin, director of politics and public policy for the Florida AFL-CIO, tells Dara why labor unions "are needed now more than ever" and talks about the impact of recent laws aimed at dismantling them. Rich also gives Dara an update on how Vice President Kamala Harris has shaken things up in down-ballot races in Florida. The pair swaps notes on The Modern Lovers, Elvis Costello and Tracy Chap...

Join Dara and First Amendment Foundation Executive Director Bobby Block for a dive into Florida's expansive public-records laws and efforts to chip away at what was once a national model for government in the sunshine. Bobby also warns about the "growing threat" to citizens' ability to hold government officials accountable.

Dara takes Deeper Dive on the road to the annual Florida Media Conference! Join Dara and editors in as they dig into what's happening at media outlets of all sizes in an ever-evolving world of journalism. Also, discerning consumers of news get some tips amid a highly charged political season. Hear about podcasts, investigative journalism, fact-checking ... donkeys!

Former Gov. Jeb Bush joins Dara for Deeper Dive's 100th episode! Gov. Bush shares insights about some of his most controversial policies, such as the "One Florida" plan scrapping affirmative action in university admissions and state hiring and the sweeping "A-plus" education plan that assigned grades to schools, provided school vouchers for students and much more. The former governor also gives so...

State Rep. Vicki Lopez, R-Miami, returns to Deeper Dive to give us an update on "vertical living," following changes to the state's condo regulations. Rep. Lopez, aka the "Condo Queen," gives Dara the down-low on issues facing condominium owners and condo boards, shares some takeaways from a recent "life-changing" sojourn to Israel, and much, much more!

Carlos Guillermo Smith won't appear on the ballot in November, but he'll be joining the Florida Senate this fall after cruising to victory without an opponent. The senator-elect chats with Dara about his priorities for the 2025 session, his passion for the arts, his advocacy for the LGBTQ community and much, much more. Plus, find out what he and Senate President-Designate Ben Albritton have in com...